Corn-cutting machine



(No Model.)

H. WILLITS. CORN CUTTING MACHINE. No. 463,930. Patented Nov. 24, 1891.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY XVILLITS, OF NElV BOSTON, ILLINOIS.

CORN-CUTTING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 463,930, dated November 24, 1891.

Application filed Pebruary25, 1891- Serial No. 382.747. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HARRY l/VILLITS, of New Boston, in the county of Mercer and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improved Corn-Cutting Machine, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to an improved device for slicing corn-ears into pieces, and has for its object to provide additional features of improvement for the corn-cutting machine patented by me October 8, 1889, No. 412,578, whereby the cutting capacity and general efliciency of said machine is increased.

To this end my invention consists in an improved feed-throat and cutting device and a novel gage to regulate the length of corn-ear subdivisions, as is hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the device. Fig. 2 is a view of the opposite side of the machine shown broken. Fig. 3 is a plan view. Fig. at is a front elevation. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section on the line 5 5 in Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a vertical section of the improved cutting-gage, taken on the line 6 6 in Fig. 3. Fig. 7 is a side view of two cutter-knives and their supporting-disk detached from the machine. Fig. 8 is a detached View of an adjustable throat-plate for the feeding device, and Fig. 9 is a top view of a portion of the feed-gage detached.

The improved frame consists of two legs a on each side of the machine, which are secured at their lower ends to transverse parallel base-pieces b or any other suitable base that is portable. The legs in pairs are inclined toward each other, so as to afiord a proper base support, longitudinally considered, and adapt their upper ends to be secured to the bracket-boxes A B, which, with the attached pairs of legs, are separated and maintained in parallel vertical planes by the transverse base-pieces b and cross-brace c, which is secured upon the front legs near to the front base-piece, opposite stretcher-bars a connecting the diverging legs a near their lower ends.

The bracket-boxes A B are preferably constructed as shown, having a slot d horizontally out toward and through the front edge of each box in the same plane for the ready introduction and removal of the transverse cutter-shaft e, which is retained in place free to rotate by the keeperblocks e, that are held in place in the slots mentioned bythe vertical keys e Upon each side of the supporting-frame an upwardly and rearwardly inclined standard a is firmly attached to the inner surface of the legs a, these pieces being designed to sustain a corn-holding table 0, that is provided with a border wall f, which will retain a quantity of corn-ears in position to be grasped and introduced into the feed-throats of the machine, as will be further described.

The table 0 is contracted in width for wardly and has its border wall f attached to an integral upwardly-proj ected and inwardlycurved arm A of the bracket-box A, which is also adapted to support the duplex feedingthroats D, to which the opposite forward terminal of the border-wall f is secured, as shown at g in Fig.

There is a weighty balance-wheel E secured upon the cutter-shaft e and located within the frame of the machine near the bracket-box B, and near the opposite box A a disk F is mounted on and fastened to said shaft by any suitable means. The disk F is designed to receive and support the similar cutters h, that are blades, which laterally project from the outer edges of slotted stock-plates h, said blades having a curvature corresponding to that of the periphery of the disk whereon they are secured by bolts that are inserted in the disk-face and engage the edges of the slots in the stock-plates h, so as to retain the cutters adj ustably and reinovably on the disk and adapt their shear cutting-edges h2 to slice ears of corn which are thrust downwardly through the feed-throats D.

On the inner vertical face of the balancewheel E two cutters t are adjustably secured in the same manner as has been described with regard to the cutters h on the disk F. Said cutters 2', having a like construction to that of the cutters h, are so located upon the balance-wheel as to lie radially intermediate of the two opposite cutters h.

ICO

The feed-throats D consist of a metallic plate having two similar depending tubes m formed on its forward edge parallel to each other and a marginal wall m projected above the tubes. Said wall, being bolted to the arm A, affords a continuation for the border-wall f of the table 0. The tubular throats m are of such a relative diameter as will freely admit the insertion of the largest corn-ears, and upon their front inner surfaces the similar spring-plates n are attached at their upper ends to the marginal wall m of the throats, into which their depending portions project, the set-screw bolts n affording means to proj ect the free lower portions of the springplates into the throats, so as to diminish their size and regulate the same to suit the average diameter of the corn-ears operated upon.

The curved cutters h t' are adapted to re volve toward the feeding-throats D and alternately engage with their shearing cuttingedges corn-ears which are pushed through the throats, slicing the same into pieces of equal lengths, which may be changed, as may be desired, by an alteration of the cuttinggage G.

As shown, the gage G is composed of a slotted plate 0, provided with ratchet-teeth on its inner surface which engage similar teeth on the outer front surface of the feedingthroats D near their transverse center, said teeth being provided to enable a vertical adjustment for the plate and the gage-fingersp, that are pivoted to the lower end'of the plate, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the set-screw bolt (1 affording means to change the position of the plate 0. The fingers p haveaweighty enlargement 0' upon their outer ends, which normally holds the inner ends of the fingers and their lateral limbs 19' in the position indicated in Fig. 6, a slight rocking motion being permitted upon their pivotal support 4". There are two of the fingers 1) provided that fulcrum on the same transverse bolt 7", as shown in Figs. 6 and 9, their limbs 19' projecting laterally and oppositely below the lower ends of the feeding throats D, the curved cutters h i being adapted to travel between the limbs named and the throat ends.

Upon the cross-brace c the lower end of a chute I is secured, which extends upwardly and rearwardly between the standards ct, and is secured at its upper end to the crossbar ta which connects the upper terminals of the standards directly below the table 0, which is secured thereto by any preferred means.

The cutter-shaft e is provided with a crankarm 3 on its extremity that projects beyond the bracket-box A, and 011 the outer side of one of the stretcher-bars a a treadle J is pivoted by one end, the other end of the treadle having a pivotal connection with the lower end of an upright connection rod L, that is similarly attached to the crank-arm s at its upper end, which is slotted, as at s, to receive the pin .9 of the crank-arm, the

provision of the slot being made to prevent any injury to the machine, as in case any obstruction 'should get under the tread-bar the slot will permit the crank-shaft to complete its revolution.

D, the lower ends of the inserted ears striking upon the limbs 19 of the gage-fingersp depresses them, and the revolving cutters It i shear off the portions of the ears that extend below the feeding-throats, which pieces slide down the chute I away from the cutters. By alterations of adjustment of the bolt (1 the gage-plate 0 can be so set as to enable the operator to out slices of corn-ears of various thicknesses, the machine, if properly speeded,running with ease and cutting the corn into pieces rapidly.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In a corn-ear cutter, the combination, with adisk, of slotted stock-plates adj ustably secured to the disk and provided with cutters projecting from the outer edges of the stockplates, said cutters having a curvature correspondin g to that of the periphery of the disk, substantially as described.

2. In a corn-ear cutter, the combination, with two bracket-boxes mounted on framelegs and having horizontal slots extending toward and through the front edge of the brackets, and keeper-blocks held in place by a key for each block, of a transverse cuttershaft loosely engaged with the boxes and keeper-blocks, substantially as set forth.

3. In a corn-ear cutter, the combination, with four framelegs, two bracket-boxes forming the tops of the frame, and a transverse cutter-shaft supported to rotate in the boxes, of a balance-Wheel on the shaft, two radiallyadjustable curved cutters on the side of the wheel, a feeding-throat supported from the bracket-box, and means to rotate the shaft, substantially as set forth.

4:. In a corn-ear cutter, the combination, with a feeding-throat and a revoluble balauce-wheel, of two radially-adjustable laterally-projected shearing-cutters 011 the side of the wheel extending under the feeding-throat, substantially as set forth.

5. In a corn-ear cutter, the combination with a feed-throat and cutting device, of an adjustable vibrating gage-finger below the feed-throat, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. In a corn-ear cutter, the combination, with a revolubly-supported cutter-shaft and means to rotate the shaft, of a balance-wheel on the shaft near one end, two radially-adjustable curved cutters on the side of the wheel, a disk secured on the shaft near the other end, and two radial cutters similar to those on the balance-wheel projected from the disk toward the cutters on the balancewheel, substantially as set forth.

7. In a corn-ear cutter, the combination, with a revolubly-supported cuttershaft, a balance-wheel and a disk on the shaft secured near opposite ends, a pair of curved shear cutting-blades laterally projected from the disk toward the balance-wheel, and a pair of similar cutter-blades on the side of the balancewheel alternating with the cutters on the disk, of a feeding-throat for each set of cutters, and an adjustable independently-Vibrating gagefinger for each feeding-throat, substantially as set forth.

8. In a corn-ear cutter, the combination, with a frame, bracket-boxes on the frame, a

ter-shaft in the bracket-boxes, a disk and a balance-Wheel on the shaft near its ends, two radially -adjustable cutters on the balance- .wheel, two similar cutters on the disk alternating with the other cutters, and a treadle -2 5 device which is adapted to rotate the cuttershaft, substantially as set forth.

HARRY W'ILLITS.

Witnesses:

VAN WILLITS, 0T0 WILLITs. 

